Closing arguments end in officer attack trial

MIAMI - Closing arguments in the trial of a man accused of hitting a Miami-Dade police officer with a cinder block, then running him over with his police vehicle ended Thursday afternoon.

Judge Sue Ellen Venzer was set to charge the jury so that deliberations could begin.

After spending much of his time attacking prosecution witnesses -- some convicted criminals -- defense attorney Charlie White addressed the DNA evidence and Michael Robertson's fingerprints found in Det. Castillo's vehicle.

White questioned how the state tests DNA, suggesting the case has the appearance of a conspiracy, and that the police wanted and needed to pin the crime on someone and Robertson was in the area at the time.

"Once Mr. Robertson's name was put out on a BOLO (Be on the lookout), they (police) had their man."

According to prosecutors, in Little Haiti in April 2010, Robertson ran away from Carlos Castillo during a traffic stop, climbed onto a roof, and threw a 30-pound cinder block onto the officer's head, cracking his skull.

Prosecutors said Robertson then stole the detective's police vehicle and proceeded to run him over with it twice.

"He went all the way to the top," said assistant state attorney Gail Levine. "He gave you the ice cream cone and he put the cherry on it -- with the cinder block, with the car. He wanted him dead."

Officers found Castillo in a pool of blood.

"There's no mystery here. There's no doubt this defendant (Robertson) attempted to murder Officer Castillo. He is guilty of every single crime," said Levine. "He took that cinderblock and he dropped it 11 feet down, right on his head. Crumbles. Frankly, like dominoes."

A member of the department's Robbery Intervention Unit, Castillo suffered major injuries to the brain damage, a fractured right arm, a collapsed lung, a lacerated liver and many other injuries.

When the defense had its turn, White suggested his client may have been targeted from the get go.

"The police officers were walking around the neighborhood with his picture because they knew in their mind that Michael Robertson had done this," said White.

But the prosecutor went on the offensive again, pointing to the evidence, specifically the Robertson's DNA and fingerprints, were found inside the detective's car.

"What the heck is his fingerprint doing in that car if he didn't smash the officer, punch, kick, pull into the street and drive over him, just like 3 witnesses tell you?" said Levine. "What are you going to say when your DNA and fingerprint are there? 'They planted it on me.'"

Robertson faces several charges, including first-degree attempted murder on a law enforcement officer.